Stolen Innocence
by MrsMaddyWinchester
Summary: When Carl falls victim to a brutal attack in his cell, how will him and the gang deal with the aftermath. Set during the prison, Season 4. Warnings, Implied non con and language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey everyone! This is my first fanfiction, so I'm really sorry if I disappoint. I've decided to make this a short chapter, but I promise to upload another within days! I've chosen to have this story set in season four, at the prison. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy…**

**Disclaimer- I don't own The Walking Dead or any of its characters.**

**Oh and just a warning, this story does contain implied non con and some language. (Probably some gore in later chapters, but its TWD, so that really goes without saying)**

The sun had scorched Carl's skin as he enthusiastically wandered to the fences of the prison, which had currently gathered a crowd of flesh eating corpses. With a sharpened spear in one hand, he prepared himself to pierce the brains of the many monstrous walkers they would encounter. Clearing the fence wasn't something Carl was asked to do often, but now that Paul had demanded his company for this task, the kid wanted to prove himself.

Paul was a man well trusted in the prison community. Portraying many characteristics quite similar to Rick, he was also looked up to and considered a leader. Much like Daryl, he was also a close friend to Rick who frequently put the man in charge when he was made to go on supply runs.

It was Paul's resemblance to Carl's father which made him feel that he was one to trust. He got along well with the man in what little time they had known each other and Paul had even trusted the teen to accompany him in clearing the fences.

As hours passed and there was now not a walker in sight, both called it a day and decided to head back up to the building. Although Carl was splattered in a considerably repulsive amount of walker blood, it no longer disgusted him much as it would have prior to discovering the prison. Deciding the fluids were best cleaned up anyway, he marched up the gravel road and into his cell before changing into another pair of what very little clothes he had, then absorbing himself in another comic book that Michonne had ever so kindly collected during a supply run.

Too focused on the task at hand, it wasn't until a throat was cleared that Carl had realised he was not alone in his cell.

"Paul…um hey, did my Dad tell you to get me?" that seemed the only reason that anyone has bothered him.

It was the look on the older man's face which made Carl grow uneasy, it wasn't much like the normal friendly demeanour that everybody was used to seeing, but more of a 'I shouldn't be here but I am anyway'. Paul seemed nervous, and only made Carl feel the same way. unsure of what to do, the teen chose to wait for Paul to make the first move, but after a long wait that seemed not to happen,being slightly disturbed he then swung around to grab his weapon, only to hear click of a gun and cold metallic pressure on the bak of his head…

"Don't- Make- a-sound"

**Yeah, I know it's really short and kind of terrible but it's my first fic so, yeah.**

**I will definitely update a longer chapter, as this one was only to get me started. Anyway please review and tell me what you think, also if you have any suggestions on how you would like this story to continue and what you would like to happen, I'd love to hear ideas.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second Chapter…**

**And I'd decided to skip the initial scene where Carl is attacked. I'm not sure, but I don't think I would do a very good job at writing such a thing.**

Carl let out a muffled groan, as he lifted his face from the cold concrete. Slightly startled at the small pool of blood which had gathered by his head, he desperately tried to recollect what had just happened.

Everything throbbed, even such a little movement of lifting his head, and his body felt extensive pain. He tried to roll over, only for a crippling ache to appear in his ribs. With nothing to do but wait to be found, he began to be swarmed with images of just how exactly he had been left bloody and beaten in his prison cell.

_"_Oh god!" he whimpered as the previous events began to resurface.

Tears ran down his face and mixed with the rivulets of blood that gushed from his nose. Feeling a coppery taste in his mouth, Carl strained out a desperate plea for help at the best of his ability. With no response, he did so once again and twice more before he could hear a set of distant, yet hasty footsteps that grew louder and louder as seconds went by.

"I swore I heard something, it sounded like...Oh my god, Carl!

Carl heard a woman's shout before the metal door of his cell was dragged open and he felt a set of hands cradling his bleeding head.

"Glenn, go find Rick!"

"He's on a supply run!"

"Then go get dad, I'll stay here"

Carl recognised the voices as none other than newlyweds, Maggie and Glenn. Letting out a faint sigh in relief, knowing that he was no longer in danger, he tried to form words, but instead began to violently cough and heave creating more pain in his chest.

"Shhhh, Carl sweetie, you're going to be fine"

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The prison courtyard had been nothing but a regular gathering to discuss further lookout shifts before Glenn came belting down the steps in a panic. All eyes turned to the normally quiet man, who was demanding his father in laws immediate help.

"Hershel! We need you! Something's happened to Carl!"

Daryl's eyes widened. God forbid anything happening to that kid and having to inform Rick when he arrived back in a short matter of hours.

"What is it?" Hershel asked in calm tone, yet feeling a significant amount of worry.

"I don't know! Maggie's with him now, but you gotta help him!"

Both Daryl and Tyrese descended through the prison at a fast jogging pace, leaving Carol to walk with a hobbling Hershel, as he tried his hardest to quicken his speed. The fear that a walker may entered the prison and bitten the child had undoubtingly crossed all their minds.

Upon arriving at Carl's cell, a strong wave of anger spread through Darryl, this wasn't an accident or a walker, somebody was responsible, and somebody had hurt the kid. Ricks kid! Despite Glenn's panic, none of them had quite expected injuries to this extent.

"Tyrese, go and fetch my supplies"

"Is he going to be okay, Daddy?! Maggie asked

Her father didn't answer, but carefully checked over Carl's injuries.

"They're back!" Came a shout, as the well-recognised car came to a halt at the prison gates.

**Another short chapter! I guess I just wrap it up too quickly before looking at the word count, sorry about that. Anyway, I've already written most of the next chapter, and it will be up very shortly. Thanks for reading ****J****I will update soon!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

On the slow drive back to the prison, just as it was coming back from any supply run, Rick was notably anxious to see his children. Not that anything had actually happened to them before when he was away, and it wasn't like Carl really needed his father to look after him, and Beth had devoted all of her time to lovingly babysitting Judith. He knew that they were relatively safe, but in the world that they were currently living in, there was always that tiny chance that something could go very wrong. And as tiny as it may be, that worry always sat in the back of his mind.

Pulling up to the prison gate, it took only mere seconds for Rick to realise something wasn't right, Just as it was during this time of the day, Carl and carol were always there to open the gate, only this time, he was met with the rather concerned face of Glenn, standing beside Daryl, looking even more glum than usual.

Feeling a surge of apprehension, before the car could even come to halt, Rick jumped out of the passenger door, leaving an oblivious Michonne, in much confusion, as the man eagerly marched his way up to his two friends,

"Where's Carl" he immediately demanded

"Rick, something happened" Glenn replied, in a nervous tone

"What? What happened? Where is he?"

Glenn tried to form a sentence that could gently explain the teenager's current condition, only for it to come out as a string of stutters. Daryl cut the younger man off "Carl, was attacked by somebody in his cell not too long ago, we don't know who it was, but it's pretty bad" the redneck explained, choosing not to sugar coat it.

Without another word, Rick descended towards the building at a particularly fast pace, still comprehending what he's just been told.

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"Where is he? Where's my son?!" came the deep, and loud voice of Rick Grimes as he quickly ran to the cell, where Hershel, Carol and Tyrese were gathered.

"Rick, Calm down, he's stable" Hershel replied

Still with no peace of mind, Rick rushed to the boys' bedside, gasping at the sight of his child, he covered his mouth with a shaking palm, muffling a sob.

The sight he was met with was certainly far worse that he had expected, his son had been brutally beaten, with only his arms, head and shoulders not being covered by a blanket, all were severely bruised, scratched and even cut. Trying to focus as Hershel listed his many injuries; Rick did all he could not to break down.

"Y You found him like this?" he asked quietly, running a trembling hand through his sons blood matted hair.

"Me and Glenn, I was looking for Beth, and then I heard somebody calling for help" Maggie stated.

"He was awake?!" Rick asked shocked. "Did he say anything?"

"Not much at all, he did ask for you, but then he was out"

"Did anybody see anything? Somebody must have seen who had done this?" His voice became louder, his anger far more prominent. He knew somebody was responsible. This was the work of a person within the prison, all of which Rick thought he could trust.

"Nothing, we're sorry Rick, we're still asking people, but this area is pretty empty during the afternoon, people doing their jobs and what not" Carol added to the conversation.

"He won't be awake for many hours, there's nothing more I can do, I suggest we leave Rick to be with his boy" Hershel advised to the others, "If that's what you want Rick?"

"Yeah, ummm thanks" he murmured, clearly trying to control his anger. Continuously carding his fingers though Carl's hair, his mind was clearly too absorbed in he's son's well-being.

What he felt was indescribable, it was a mixture of rage, fear and heartbreak as he thought of just terrified Carl must have been. With nothing more to hold him together, Rick did everything he could not to let his emotions get the better of him, as he grasped his son's hand.

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"How do we find the fucker who done this?" Daryl demanded ideas from group who had now come to gather outside the prison hallway.

"The truth is, the person who did this could have taken off, I mean, the bastard didn't Kill Carl, so why wait around for him to wake up and tell us?" Tyrese explained. "We have a list off everybody living within these prison walls, so I think we should go around and make sure everyone is accounted for"

"Okay, then, we can each take different parts of the prison" Maggie added, "I'll go find Paul, bout time he helped us"

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Paul quietly walked with Carol through the courtyard, having just heard that not a single person in their camp had seen him near Carl's cell; the man was feeling particularly confident that he could actually get away with his brutal attack.

"But why would anybody suspect me?" he thought to himself smugly, it was true though, people in the prison trusted him just as much as they did Rick. And having made it pretty clear they it would be more than Carl who would pay if told anybody it was him, he was sure the kid wold keep his mouth shut. Sure, there was always the possibility that Carl would ignore that factor, but Paul was confident that having threatened the life of his father and sister, the kid really wouldn't take that risk.

**Sorry, that took a little longer to update than I had initially intended. of course am still continuing, if there's one thing I can't stand, its people who totally abandon their stories without even an author's note explaining that it's the last chapter. Plus, I'm really enjoying writing this story, and look forward to it. Oh, and thankyou so much for all the faves/follows and reviews. As you can see, I'm not the best writer, especially with the short chapters, but I'm working on that especially, the readers have been so nice. Next update will be within days**.


	4. Chapter 4

Rick had stayed cooped up in Carls cell for more than twenty four hours, he watched his son like a hawk, waiting for any minor signs that may indicate him awakening, however very little had happened and Having had absolutely no sleep, the man's eyes became heavier by the hour.

It was every half hour that he would make comments to his son, sometimes begging him to wake up, show his father that he wold be okay, physically anyway. Other times he would just say things he would if Carl was conscious and listening, it was as if Rick thought the kid was aware of presence on some level, or at least he hoped so.

Rick knew he should be getting sleep, the urge to doze off became stronger and Hershel had come by to warn that it could be much longer. He began to weigh up his options when Paul poked his head into the cell

"Rick, you've been up for hours, you need your sleep"

"I can't, what if he wakes up and I'm not here"

"Look man, me and the others, we can take turns to watch him, the minute he so much as makes a noise, and we'll come wake you"

"That's nice of you, but-"

"Rick, c'mon. It could be hours, you'll need to sleep eventually"

"I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing, I still don't know though…"

A pensive look spread across Ricks face, and after much consideration, he finally left his son with Paul in exchange for some very much needed sleep.

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Carl groaned as his felt an immediate pain spread through his body, slowly becoming aware of all the individual injuries that had been inflicted upon him. Letting out a hushed whimper, he squinted until the settings around him slowly came into focus.

"Ahhhh there he is! Finally, man, I was thinking you weren't ever gunnu wake up"

A strong sense of fear emerged as Carl did his best to shuffle close to the cold concrete wall until he was all but pressed into it.

"Oh relax, I aint gunnu hurt you"

"W-What are you doing here?" he stammered, trying best to keep his fear unknown

"I figured you wasn't gunnu tell your dad what happened" he began, a smug grin tugging at the sides of his mouth, "But then, who knows, let's say you did, and your dad got to me before I got to him, well I just can't risk that now, can I?"

"S-so you're going to kill me? You don't think you'd get away with that?" Carl tried to sound confident, followed by a cough, which strained his ribs with a sharp throb.

"No! Of course not, well not yet anyway. I mean, I was always gunnu get out of this place eventually, People here driving me mad, your father mostly, I mean, says we all decide together, a council or some other crap, but this is a fucken ricktatorship, if you ask me. But it's not just him, living with these people, sometimes I just wanna shoot every single one"

What this man was saying made the teenager incredibly anxious, Pauls wicked grin told nothing less than that a malevolent plan was about to go underway, one that surely involved Carl.

"So, anyway, I'm getting the fuck outta this place, and you, get to do the honours of accompanying me. How does that sound"

"Are you crazy? You can't take me, what's the bet I can't even freaking walk because of what you did!?" Carl snapped in reply, the sudden rush of anger becoming more powerful than his fear.

"Oh you'll pull through; besides, I'm not done with you. C'mon now" he said with confidence, gesturing to the hallway.

"Wait, you're serious? I can't, are you cra-"he was cut off by the click of a gun, before he then realised a trigger being pointed directly at his temple. Still paralysed by fear and confusion, the suddenly turned vicious, Paul yanked him by him arm, pulling him from his bed. Carl released a painful yelp, as an excruciating pain spread through his limbs"

"Shut the fuck up, and do what I say, everybody is asleep, and if you so much as wake one person, I will blow out both your fucken brains, do we understand?" he pulled Carls face close to him, looking directly into the young, tear filled eyes, he watched as the kid responded in a fearful nod, trying his best to stifle any expression of pain.

Carl was then agonisingly pulled along by the older man, who remained incredibly vigilant for anybody else who may be awake at this hour. Having to, at times, reminds the kid that he was very much in control of his life; he would every so often press the trigger to the back of the child's head. After twenty or so minutes, they were at the fences, Paul forcing Carl, despite the obvious pain he was under, to use wire clippers to cut the fence at the back of the prison. Using the front gates was far too risky, as they were guarded at every hour of the day and night.

Making their way through the fence, Paul harshly pulled the kid alongside him, briefly letting go to pierce a walker's brain, but in this condition, Carl knew better than to make a break for it, hell, he could barely stand by himself.

After a painful 15 minutes of walking, in which Carl was being fully dragged , unable to raise the energy for his legs to work, they came to a desolate and rather dreary road, where it looked as though the man had prepared a car to take the child he had kidnapped. Although Carl couldn't muster the energy to put up a fight in refusal, he knew that if he got in that car, the further they got away, the chances that his father would ever find him were next to nothing. Even that being so, he was forced into the vehicle, feeling the relief as he was able to relax.

"Now, don't do anything stupid, because it won't end well for you, trust me" he threatened his voice sharp and clear, words spoken through gritted teeth. Carl obeyed his orders as he kept his eyes on the road, trying his hardest to not was asleep, and memorize every sign or turn that they passed, but with his head lulled to the side, it took mere minutes for his fatigue to become obvious, and with his head ringing, dizzy and heavy he allowed for his eyes to close.

**Sorry if that took a little long to update, I had a psychology SAC and a history assignment to prepare, but I managed to make some more time to write this chapter, and the next will definitely be up in a few days, as per usual. Thankyou to all the readers, faves/follows. People are so nice in the reviews, and I really appreciate it. Also, I have this story briefly planned out, however if people have any suggestions on how they would like my story to continue, I'd love to hear them!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Daryl let out a dreary groan as he rose from his bed, observing the unlit cell, he could only assume it was the middle of the night. He reached for his shoes before stumbling over numerous unidentifiable objects, he pulled his cold steal door open and made his way to check on Carl, Rick had gone to bed, and he was sure Paul would have slacked off and fallen asleep.

Daryl wasn't really sure why he was checking on the kid, maybe it was because from knowing Carl so long, he couldn't help but admit that Rick's son had grown on him, yet again it was also the fact that Paul was incompetent, despite of what everybody else would say, he's probably just have gone back to his own bed. There was something about the guy that Daryl really didn't like, even if the whole entire prison looked up to him.

"Paul, you there" he slurred, still half asleep as he came closer to the cell.

As the inside of the room came into focus, a shockwave was sent through the man as he realised it was completely unoccupied. Looking around desperately, he searched for any sign that he was not in the correct area, that fatigue had taken over and he had in fact wandered to the wrong part of the prison, but no such luck. Daryl tried to make some logical sense of what was happening, there was no way Carl would have gotten up, even he had gone to get his father which was incredibly unlikely in his condition, he had passed Ricks cell on the way.

Dragging the door open in one quick motion, Daryl looked for what clues he could find. His gun was still there, nothing knocked over, and there was barely anything to go by.

Still in complete confusion, Daryl's instincts took over as he jogged downed the hallway, pounding down the numerous flights of stairs before coming to the back door which led outside, it strangely stood wide open, this couldn't be a coincidence. Stepping his way through, he quickly jogged to the open are outside, with only light snarls through the fence, there was not another sound to be heard. Scanning the fences, his eyes met the gaping hole that broke the continuous pattern of the barrier, the only possible option that it had been cut, this was no accident, and somebody would have had to have used wire clippers. He sprinted to the gap, clumsily tripping as he tried to avoid snagging on the sharp metal.

With large strides, he ran through the forest, following the obvious trail that had been created by who had suspected was carl, unsure of why the kid would wander out there, or even if he could, Daryl took no time in making sense of what was going on, the truth was, if Carl was out there, he wouldn't be making it very far.

The forest was woken by the snapping of branches the hissing of the long grass as he made his way deeper into the woodland. He's suspicions grew as he wondered how or why Carl was wandering out so far, or even if it was him, either way, somebody had cut a hole in the fence in order to escape, and that was enough to make him pursue the offender through the forest in the very early hours of the morning.

The rows of trees came to an abrupt end as Daryl found himself stumbling onto a road. Looking out into the distance, he could see the faintest glint of two bright headlights, descending from where he stood, "What the fuck is happening" he muttered under his breath as he rushed to an abandoned group of cars, something which was seen quite often. With his luck, the second car that he inspected had a pair of car keys left untouched in the ignition.

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"Are you fucking kidding me?" Paul hissed with a sudden rage as he saw the dim glow of headlights grow stronger in the rear view mirror. Turning his head to the passenger seat, he noted that the child he had kidnapped was fast asleep. The man could do nothing but press harder onto the accelerator, hoping to lose his pursuer, which he assumed to be due to the impending Vehicle that seemed to be going at a speedy pace. As the stress grew, sweat began to dampen his forehead; he tried to calm himself with deep breaths.

"If I get caught, they'll fucken-"the rest was implied, as he swallowed deeply, trying not to think about the ending of that sentence.

The car behind was gaining rapidly, as the distance between them grew smaller by the second, Paul let out a panicked yell as he violently punched the steering wheel with fierce rage. Unable to lose the car, there were no turnoffs that were not blocked, he tried he's hardest in increasing the speed, however the car was in desperate need of a mechanic, not that he knew he's be part of a high speed car chase. After mere minutes and no way to get the chaser off his tail, the other vehicle was close enough to get a glimpse of the driver.

Paul stared briefly through the rear view mirror, and upon recognition of who was driving the following car, he began yelling a string of profanities "Who Fucken else could it be?!" he snapped sarcastically, speaking to only himself. He continued for very little before he's body jolted forward, banging his head of the steering wheel, he realised that Daryl had rammed into him. Paul ignored the trickle of blood running and his face and continued to drive until there was a far more aggressive heave and control was lost. His surrounding became fuzzy as he once again whacked his head onto the wheel; the man tried to regain focus but appeared to fail, as he attempted to steer it took only seconds for the car to be driven off the road and into a large oncoming tree.

**Okay, so this update took way longer to do than expected and I am so sorry. To be honest, it totally slipped my mind and I sort of forgot, now that I'm in year 10, homework has seriously picked up! Anyway, so I have been writing this tonight and just finished, I'm really sorry if I disappointed you, my writing is still really bad, but hey, I'm still learning**

**Please follow/ fave , PM and review- especially review, I love reading them!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Paul let out a shallow groan, before both slowly and painfully lifting his head from the steering wheel, he winced when he felt the sticky sensation of blood which covered most of his face. There was a brief moment of confusion, compete forgetfulness and he struggled to put the pieces together, why would this have happened. But as his vision soon came to a better clarity, he noticed the stirring boy who sat in the passenger seat.

"What happened?" Carl asked in a raspy voice

"That sonofvabitch Daryl rammed into us, think we hit a tree"

"Wait Daryl?!" Carl's voice had a hint of optimism, as he too, remembered what was happening.

Paul whipped his head to look through the back window, vaguely making out a form; he then noticed the sound of a horn continuously blaring, realising in was more than his ears ringing.

"Sorry Kid, looks like your knight in shining armour is out cold" he tried to sound smug, but man his heard hurt.

"Alright, let's get outta here"

"What about Daryl?" Carl asked as the older man pulled him from the much damaged vehicle.

"Leave him to rot, he won't wake up before the walkers find him, plus don't want the prison hearin the gunshot, now do we?"

Carl didn't answer at first, racking his brain for ideas, what was he meant to do? How could anybody in their right mind expect him the leave a man for dead, a man he considered family. Raising the courage to speak up, he tried to sound domineering, rather than irritating.

"You can't just leave him, he'll die!"

"That's the plan kiddo"

"No way! Did he even see your face?"

Paul hadn't really considered that last part. "Don't know, probably not, but why take the risk?" and with that, he dragged Carl by his arm, pulling him close so the boy's back was pressed to his chest. He continued to steer Carl into the forest, while the teen did he best to break free, kicking and punching Paul to the best of his ability, Carl knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't do everything in his power to save his friend.

"Quit it kid! You're not getting away, at least not before I've had my way with you"

Carl stopped; he froze in complete shock and terror, too fearful of what had just been said, of what this man's intentions were. Oh god! He knew what that meant; it was a fear that always sat in the back of his mind.

"W what are you going to do?" he stuttered

"You'll see, we should probably move a little further in the forest, mind you"

Carl was completely torn between an immediate rush of fear, as he knew what was bound for him, yet the thought of his redneck friendly being gnawed on by walkers was none the less painful. He still attempted to wriggle from the man's arms so that he could save himself, and more importantly, Daryl.

Paul then came to a sudden Halt, quickly pushing the boy on his hands and knees so they were pressed into the damp soil of the forest floor. As Carl turned to look at the man, Paul pressed his boot into the small of the child's back, causing him to flatten completely onto the ground, mud now mixing with the blood on his chin.

"Let's get started shall we…"he grinned, not malevolently, however jut an expression of joy, this appeared somewhat more disturbing if that was even possible.

There was a sudden yelp when Carl felt cold hands on his skin, pulling down onto the band of his pants. The boy screamed despite getting a mouthful of mud and dirt as his head was pressed further into the ground.

"What are you doing?!" it was both a muffled cry and scream

"Trust me, you'll love it" the older man said calmly, with some breathlessness from the slight struggle it took in keeping the teen still.

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Daryl slowly lifted his head upon hearing the hungry snarls of more than a dozen walkers. It was a sound he knew too well, and despite the significant amount of pain he was under, the Redneck quickly sprang into action, jumping out of the battered car, he reached for a large, nearby stick, then impaled as many approaching walkers as he could, luckily the area was quite secluded.

It had taken the man more than a minute to realise what was going on, "Why am I out here?" he thought for a long moment, before the memories seemed to all slam into his mind at once.

Daryl head whipped from side to side, leaving quite a dull, pulsating feeling as he felt for the blood dripping from his temple, dismissing it completely; he'd had far worse in the past.

Infamously known as a tracking genius, the redneck scanned the area for a human trail, and sure enough, discovered one that descended into the trees.

Whoever this person was from the prison was, he realised almost immediately that there was two sets of footprints, not one. This could easily mean that Carl had come out here, or have been kidnapped, but he was just not by himself.

Piecing everything together, Daryl started to feel a small amount of worry, as he realised that evidence wold suggest that somebody had taken carl from the prison, after all, it did appear that the smaller footprints were almost being dragged along, more so than stepping.

Desperation grew from inside, and Daryl began to slowly jog through the tree's, bark and mud, stumbling quite ungraciously due to the worrisome thoughts running through his mind.

That's when he began to hear it, looking ahead, Daryl could see where the forest floor lifted to create a small hill and beyond that the area went unseen. There was a hissing, a sentence being spoken with much threat and dictating. Stepping closer, a sniffling, whimpering was audible, much softer, the sound most likely belonged to somebody much younger-Carl.

Running towards the sounds, Daryl discovered many injuries from the crash that he was unaware of, he cringed ever so slightly as the ground became steeper. Continuing until the culprit was in sight.

The Redneck was seemingly unnoticed, and having not yet announced himself, he took a moment to take in the sight inform of him.

Carl was on the ground, looking incredibly traumatised, it was obvious that he was trying to pull it together with a face laced with fear and shock, above him towered Paul- the second in charge at the prison, the older man had a smug look on his face, taking time to allow the child to compose himself, wearing a wicked grin as he spoke…

"There will be more time for that later"

Daryl immediately apprehended the situation as Paul spoke, and what it seemed to be made him sick to his stomach, but not only that, the man was furious. Daryl could feel the heat of his rage, teeth gritting together, he managed to speak through his total spell of anger, gaining attention from the man he wanted to kill, he sounded both threatening, and intimidating, as he spoke the ever so simple words…

"What did you say?"

To be continued…

**Okay so I wrote this tonight, and again I am incredibly sorry for the time I have taken to update, but I haven't been this busy in weeks, fortunately I will have much more time soon, and this story is far from over. Thankyou to all the readers/ faves follows and reviews. Please review, I love reading what people think, and also where you would like this story to go, I'm open for all suggestions. Please stay tuned for the next update.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, I'm very sorry for the wait. This chapter, at the start, you might feel a little disappointed, however the drama is far from over, don't worry! **

**Chapter 7**

Paul froze; he felt his heart jump so suddenly that it was almost painful as he turned and flung around to the sound of that smug son as a bitch that he thought had been killed. Trying to appear cocky and collected, the man kept a neutral expression as he inwardly cursed for not having put a bullet through that bastard's brain. "

"Daryl…"

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? " Daryl hissed with such anger that Paul surely hadn't felt so threatened in his life.

"This doesn't concern you Daryl" he replied, with some forcefulness. He was armed after all and clearly occupied the high ground.

"THE HELL IT DOESN'T! What did you do to him?"

"Back Off" Paul replied, glad that the shakiness had could not be heard.

"I'll Fucking kill you" the Redneck snarled intensely.

Paul snorted humourlessly "When I have a gun and you don't?" he went to draw his weapon. "I'd love to see you try"

Daryl froze, having acted a little impulsively, he had left out the tiny little detail in his plan being that he did not in fact have a weapon, while Paul started to regain confidence knowing that Daryl was sure to loose, unless…

"See, you can't win this time, I'm afraid me and Carl have to be somewhere, but it was nice kno-"

The sentence went unfinished as only an oozing red liquid began to run from his mouth. The man coughed and spluttered, and due to the close proximity, specks of blood splattered lightly onto Daryl's cheeks, as he stared on, unfazed

Paul's body slowly began to weaken as he attempted to splutter his last words. The redneck watched on as the kidnapper collapsed in a heap, wallowing in his own agony. From there Carl became visible, standing just as he had when cutting tinto his abusers back, his skin sprinkled with the man's blood.

"Of course" Daryl thought when he saw the teenager holding the stained red blade. Like that jackass would know that Carl had always kept that particular weapon in his boot.

But the kid looked unwell, not just physically, but it was more than obvious that something incredibly traumatic had just happened. Daryl was unsure of what to do in the moment, should he approach Carl, or would that just frighten the child.

"Carl?" he questioned

The kid only glanced up in replied, either unable or choosing not to speak. Daryl reluctantly approached him, much in the way you would a frightened animal.

"Carl, Carl talks to me, what happened?" The redneck asked very seriously, his voice much like it always was, but with desperation laced inside.

"I um, I don't know" he whispered tearfully in reply

"What do you mean to don't know?" Daryl snapped, frustrated at what little information he was given, and the kids reluctance to share an explanation. But very quickly realised that his tempered approach would not do well, he changed his attitude, putting of a soft face, well- what he considered to be one anyway.

"Did he make you do anything you didn't want to just then?"

"Yeah" Carl admitted, seemingly shameful of what he had just revealed. Keeping his head down, Daryl noticed the transparent beads of liquid that every so often would drip from the kid's nose, followed by a discreet sniffle.

"Alright, I think I get it. Should be gettin you back to your dad, c'mon"

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It was slow, that was for sure, and rather torturous as the thick roots that protruded from the forest floor made to very easy for the occasional stumble, and in Carl's condition, he really was in much need of rest, plenty of it.

Daryl led the way, looking over his shoulder often, especially when another pained cough could be heard. It was obvious that the kid was in a deep amount of pain, and the spluttering that was happening was surely doing a number on his ribs

Carl let out an audible sigh of relief when the road was visible. Still following Daryl, he lent against a tree whilst Daryl searched a nearby cluster of three cars, and hastily managed to get one started, wasting no time at all. He wrapped his arm around the teenager after noticing his struggled attempt to make it over to the vehicle. He really needed support as the pain had become more intense

"Easy kid" Daryl encouraged as he helped Carl into the passenger seat.

"Ughh" was the only reply, as the teenager tried to swallow the agonised groan.

"Alright, let's get outta here" Daryl said with exhaustion, very much willing to get back to the prison.

Carl's eyes closed as soon as his head was rested against the cold and dusty window of the car. Something dawned on Carl, there was something important, he must tell Daryl, however he could not muster the energy to speak now that he was finally able to rest. He was quite sure that he could hear his saviour's voice, however his mind pulled him into unconsciousness, and he could do nothing to resist it.

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Arriving at the prison, Daryl noticed that a group had gathered by the gates. It appeared to be Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Tyrese, Bob and Rick. The man must have discovered the absence of his son, and was sure to have been in absolute hysterics. He was positioned further from the group, but quickly closing in as he ran to the vehicle which was slowly entering the gates and coming to a halt.

Daryl pulled up as soon as he was within the fences and jogged to the passenger door, knowing that Rick would want to be seeing his son as soon as possible.

Carl was awake, but still as tired as ever when the redneck helped him out from the car. Rick walked at a fast pace, determination evident in each step.

"Carl!" the worried father yelled in relief that his only son was still alive

"c'mere" he said softly upon realising that Carl as finding it very difficult to stand, he allowed for the child to leave heavily against him as he would feel the comfort of knowing that his father was present.

"You're okay, that's m boy" he whispered softy and he kept his arms firmly around his son, helping him to the prison. Rick knew that Carl would need urgent medical attention, but was sure to appear calm so that his son would not worry, he's already been through enough. He allowed for his son to lean tiredly into his side as he helped to his cell, without saying a word to anybody, he'd thank Daryl later, but for now, he had one priority.

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Hershel was tending to Carls injuries as Rick stood very close to the cell, like he was going to leave his sons side after what happened, the thought making his blood boil. Daryl had explained that it was indeed Paul who had taken his child away from him, even for only hours, Rick would tear the guy's throat out, had he not been assured that he was dead as a doornail.

"What would that sick fuck want with my son?"

Darly stopped for a minute. Why had he not considered what he would tell the boy's father? I mean obviously the truth, however how could he explain the disgusting things that the sick twisted fuck had done.

"Rick, Paul… he did things to Carl before I could find him"

"What do you mean" Rick asked rather dangerously, looking as though he knew very well already.

Daryl didn't say anything, he didn't doubt that Rick had his suspicions already, so he just gave him a 'what do you think' look, before his friend apprehended the message that he tried to convey. The redneck wasn't sure what was going through Ricks head, but he could practically feel the heat of his rage as he watched the man's expression of anger, and sweltering red face. He could not manage a sentence as it was all mad spluttering.

"That sick bastard!" he screamed

"Rick"

"I swear to fucken god…"

"Shut up, aright, calm down, Jesus"

Rick gave Daryl a sharp glare "You expect me to calm down after my son has been raped by some psychopath! Are you kidding?"

"Your boy is in there, what if he heard all you're screaming, huh? Do this later"

There as a long silence, Rick knowing that what his friend had said was very well true. Nobody spoke until Hershel emerged from the cell

"Your boy's awake, he seems distressed, says there's something important he needs to tell you…"

**Okay so firstly, I am incredibly sorry for the amount of time that it has taken to update, term one at school is ending next week and I have a lot of upcoming tests and assignment that need to be in by next Thursday. But thankyou so much to everybody that has stayed tuned, there will be more to come, I'm sorry to end the chapter there, but I thought that what I have decided to write next will be best suited if it were a whole new chapter, and don't worry, the drama is far from over! Please review! I love reading them and thankyou to everybody who has, and to the guest who said I "am such a good writer" well I hardly agree, but thankyou so much, that was such a nice compliment!**


	8. Chapter 8

_"__Your boy's awake, he seems distressed, says there's something important he needs to tell you…"_

**Chapter 8**

"Carl, hey buddy. How are you feeling?"

He side stepped the question, mostly because what he needed to say was important, but also, he hated the question. Carl wanted to tell everybody that he was okay, but the truth was, he had never been less okay.

"Dad, Paul, he had friends, a group. They know the prison. They were coming to get me, and then they'd take me back to where they live. If they find Paul dead, they'll come and kill us, and if he's still alive, they'll patch him up and, then they'll do the same thing!" The teen's voice became stronger and more urgent as the sentence went on, which ended in a short coughing fit.

"Easy, Carl, easy. It'll be fine; they can't get into the prison. You don't have to worry about Paul ever again. Nobody is gunnu hurt you, I won't let them, okay? " Rick put a hand on his sons shoulder, as he nodded in response. He moved his thumb in a circular motion, and Carl closed his eyes. It was then that he shot Daryl a worried glance, which was returned, as both men left the cell once Carl was asleep.

"We got a problem" Daryl said immediately.

"We'll put more people on the fences. They won't get in." Rick said, more in a way that he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else. He knew how far people could go for revenge.

Daryl didn't say anything as he let out a frustrated sigh and wandered back to his cell for some rest which he was in dire need of.

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Carl cringed as he felt hot breath breathing into his ear, and then a wet tongue against his neck. He sobbed, and began to dread what was coming as he felt the man behind him pressing up against him.

"Trust me, you'll like it"

And then it was happening, and he was screaming and writhing.

"NOO!"

And just like that, it was over, and Carl realised that it was all just a nightmare, his subconscious cruelly playing out the event to every last detail and emotion.

"You okay kid?"

He recognised the voice of his redneck friend, and tried to calm himself further. For an unknown reason, Carl never liked showing weakness in front of Daryl. Maybe it was because Daryl never seemed to show weakness himself.

"Yeah…I'm fine"

He squinted in the darkness, making out a figure sliding the cell door open.

"Find that hard to believe, you had a nightmare about it, didn't you?"

"That obvious?"

"Don't worry, its normal"

"Look, I'm fine"

"You're not"

"Seriously, I'm fine"

"Just stop it! You're not! You were raped Carl. Jesus Christ, you think I'd be okay, at fourteen fucking years old, no! I'd fall apart. You're not okay!"

There was silence, and then "You're right" was murmured so quietly that Daryl could only just make out the words.

Carl was traumatised, no doubt, and after letting his guard down, the teen couldn't help but burst into tears, trying the muffle the sobbing with his fist.

"Hey, no, none of that kid. Don't do that."

It seemed more a command, but having known Daryl for quite some time, it was unmistakably, his way of comforting others, and this was more than what most people could get out of him.

Daryl sighed; this was the part when he had to show he's sensitive side. He moved so that he was crouched beside the kid's bed, moving his hand, so that it was resting on Carl's shoulder.

"Don't run from your feelings" he simply stated.

"I'm not"

Daryl rolled his eyes "You are, and you can't. You can't outrun them"

"Then what do I do?" Carl asked

"You have to face them, and come to terms with it. It's okay to feel how you feel, understand?"

"Yeah, I understand. Thanks for saving me, if you hadn't…"

"Don't mention it, and don't worry bout them coming back"

"I'll try not to"

"They won't come here, and they won't ever get to you again. You think me and your dad would let that happen?"

"No, I know…thanks Daryl"

"No problem, you want me to stay?"

"No, it's fine. Dad will be back soon"

And with that, Daryl was gone, and Carl felt some relief as he thought of his friend's words. "It's all over" he told himself, as he shut his eyes, and was lucky enough to enter a dreamless sleep.

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Bob rubbed his face and yawned as he felt that his eyes were much harder to keep open than only minutes before. Ughh, this was going to be a long night, and he still had two hours on his shift. He could cut it short and ask for a replacement; however Bob was still working up to proving that he was a hard worker and a man who could be trusted by everybody, even Daryl.

He understood why he was out here, and knew how important the job was. Everybody was angry about what had happened to Carl, and feared that these men would come back. But how many could there be? Five, six tops, and they expect to take out an entire prison, surely they weren't so stupid as to think that they would actually succeed.

"They won't be coming" bob murmured

He felt for his bag, touching the liquor that he had collected during the last supply run. Nobody knew about it, and he couldn't imagine how Daryl would react if he found out that he had taken it, again, and after last time that the redneck had blown up about it, he could very well put a bullet in his brain if Bob was caught out again.

Tyrese was just around the corner, but he wouldn't see, it was dark and everybody knew to stay where they had been directed to. He could just have a bit, nobody would know.

And he did, but didn't stop there, before he knew it, due to his lousy self-control, it looked as though three quarters of the bottle were gone, and Bob wasn't stopping. He wasn't out of it and he wasn't drunk, he knew where he was, and what was going on, but as expected, he's reflexes were slower, and his focus was dodgy.

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"Bout time to turn in" Tyrese spoke to himself, as he gathered his equipment, and wearily made his way around the corner, so that he could finally return to his cell.

It was in the very early hours of the morning, the sun still hours from rising. He expected to be seeing Bob standing on guard, however could only see an outline of something lying in the grass.

"Bob? You there buddy?"

He made his way closer, and realised that Bob lay unconscious, rushing over quickly, he rolled the man over, and saw a trail of blood from his temple, indicating that he had been knocked unconscious with a blunt object. "Oh shit!" he hissed, realising what this most likely meant- Intruders! "How the fuck did this happen?" but his question was quickly answered as he saw an empty bottle beside his unconscious friend. "Sunovahbitch!" he yelled, and quickly ran to the prison, to warn the others.

**To be continued…**

**Okay, firstly, again I'm sorry for the time it had taken for this update and for this short chapter.i will probably me updating quite soon because it's school holidays (YAY!) and I have nothing planned. As far as this story is going, I'm not sure what you guys would like to see in future chapters, so don't be afraid to throw me a suggestion, I really want to keep my readers happy! And as usual, please follow fave and review! Especially review! Thanks guys, the next chapter will be up shortly. Thank you to everybody's kind reviews.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"That little fucker!"

"Daryl, we can deal with that later, until then, we gotta handle whoever broke in!" Tyrese said as he tried to steer Daryl towards the issue at hand.

"Think I can guess who that is" Carol mumbled under her breath.

"Yeah we all can, I'm gunnu go get Rick, you go and tell the others" Tyrese yelled while he jogged down the halls, with his usual determination and passion that he had in protecting every person in the prison.

"God this is a fucken nightmare" the redneck hissed, clearly worn out by Paul's wicked attempts to get to Carl and most likely kill him because, well he had been involved in the man's cruel, yet much deserved stabbing. When would he give up! He couldn't actually feel as if he that he stood a chance could he?

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Carl wasn't asleep. What Daryl had told him had momentarily bought comfort, however, the shock and fear had found its way back, and it was gnawing at him. He tried to keep his breathing pattern even, and how it would be if he were sleeping, however he was pretty sure that his father, who was sitting on the adjacent bed, leaning against the cold walls, knew very well that his son was not sleeping.

"Carl, you alright?" clearly he wasn't convincing enough.

"Yeah, I'm fine" Carl replied, wincing as he noticed that his voice had obviously cracked mid-sentence.

Rick got up from where he was sitting, preparing his 'It's okay to be scared' talk that he had not yet had with the kid. "Carl, listen buddy, I want you to know-"

"RICK!" came the drastic call of Maggie, who came belting to the door, overtaken by panic.

"What, what's happened?" he asked quickly

Glenn was next to speak, standing beside his wife; he also looked puffed, and worried. "Guys, we got a problem, there's people who broke in through the back fence"

"What?! Bob and Tyrese were on duty!"

"Yeah, and Bob drank too much and passed out!"

Rick's head snapped up to look at Glenn in that exact moment, as if challenging the man's truthfulness. There was no way that Bob could be that stupid, that he would put everyone's life in jeopardy to fuel an addiction that he had promised he had under control

"That son of a bitch! Where are they now?"

"We don't know, we don't know anything right now, so just stay in here, and keep your gun ready" Glenn warned, appearing to be nervous and on edge.

"I knew they'd come back" Carl murmured, earning Rick's attention.

"We don't know it's them Carl, but I do know that they won't be gettin' anywhere near you, okay?"

"And what about everybody else in the prison?!" Carl yelled, causing a sharp ache in his ribs which proved to be too much to ignore.

Rick kneeled down to his son's level "Whoever they are, they're not anything we can't handle, and we've dealt with this kind of thing before, okay?"

A tearful nod was given in return, and although he didn't admit it, Carl knew that if anybody were to be injured or killed by these vengeful intruders, he'd hold himself liable. He knew that none of this would have happened if he hadn't of murdered Paul, and he'd hate himself if anybody else were forced to pay for his mistake.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where the fuck are you?" Daryl whispered as he treaded cautiously through the unlit hallway, trying to stay calm as he carefully inspected the area in which a fellow prison survivor had reported seeing somebody who did not belong to their community.

Silence was all that could he heard until a loud clang cut through the air, Daryl jolted in shock, his heart accelerating until he realised that he'd kicked over a bucket. "Of all the times to do that" he thought wearily, as he continued once again in silence trying hard to keep his nerves under control, until he heard another sound, one that he's heard all that often, the clicking of a gun.

"Drop your weapon" was bellowed, as Daryl felt something cold, ad metallic pressing against the back of his head. He took a second of contemplation. Sure, a normal man would feel inclined to drop his weapon, but Daryl was fairly confident that he was capable of using his combat-like instincts to turn this whole situation around, and he may very well have attempted this, had he not spotted the clear outline of another person who stood in front of him, also armed with a gun.

The imposter from behind cleared his throat and began to speak, sounding every bit as cocky and entitled as the perverted psychopath who had taken Carl less than seventy-two hours ago.

"Daryl Dixon…you don't know me, but I know you"

He didn't respond, as the man from in front came into closer view, and with the slight chance that Paul may be alive, Daryl was relieved in discovering that neither of these men was him.

"Now, I have a bone to pick with you. You couldn't possibly believe that you and that snooty little brat could kill my brother and get away with it now, could you?"

The redneck snorted "You mean that perverted fuck of a man is your brother?"

Surprisingly, neither of the men lashed out, but instead he heard a malevolent chuckle.

"Oh it's a new world, and you can't blame my brother for acting on such a natural impulse"

"He raped a kid; he's not even fourteen yet!"

"Oh it's not a crime! Not anymore anyway, no pain in the ass officers to enforce the law now."

"Doesn't make it right!" Daryl growled

"That's how it is now, jeez, thought you of all people would know that, but oh well. And since you're so unfamiliar with how the world works now, let me just explain this, what goes around…comes around"

There was an odd silence, and Daryl's face morphed into an expression of confusion, that was all until he felt a sharp unidentifiable pain in his back, one that burnt and felt wet as blood began to trickle. He dropped to the ground, and could faintly hear footsteps descend from his position and he realised what had happened, he had been stabbed in the back! And it was deep, life threatening without any doubt. He tried to move, to get up, but in was all in vain as he could feel the life draining from him, the darkness approaching and his eyelids began to close, as blood made its way up his throat, seeping through his lips, he now knew that he had less than minutes to live.

**Cliff hanger! Will Daryl live? Will he die? Honestly I haven't decided, but I bet you guys won't be wanting him dead anytime soon, but what can I say, I love a dramatic twist.**

**So stay tuned for the next chapter, and find out about Daryl. And again, thankyou all for the amazing support and reviews, I was really terrified of getting a ton of bad ones, but that's not the case at all! It's been really great.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Things weren't looking great, that was for sure, but with everything that Daryl had gone through, anyone who knew him would be well aware that it takes more than one stab wound to kill Daryl Dixon, at least that's what they would tell themselves.

It had been only a few hours since he had been found, and the redneck's condition had greatly fluctuated numerous times, but he was currently stable and under the care of Hershel, and Carol who refused to leave her close friend's side.

Carl had been told about the stabbing, and Rick did his best to convince his son that it was indeed not his fault. But Carl couldn't help but hold himself responsible in some sort of aspect, even if he couldn't decipher why he thought that he held the blame.

"We'll just have to wait, I'm afraid that there's nothing more I can do" Hershel explained gently to Rick, Glenn, Maggie, Michonne and Carol who were all gathered nervously around the room, hoping for some good news, then being unsatisfied with what they had been told.

"So there's no way of telling" Glenn asked

"No, not yet anyway, but if I were to guess, I'd say that he has a fair chance of surviving, it's not certain, but it's hopeful"

"Okay, Thanks Hershel" Rick spoke quickly, and rather gruffly as he turned round, walking at a fast pace, it looked as though a sudden anger had manifested.

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"There something you wanna be telling me?" Rick yelled with anger as he marched his way through the cold hall, his voice echoing loudly.

Bob turned around, appearing calmer that a normal person would being confronted by a grumpy Rick, and clearly he had been prepared for this outburst, it was fairly inevitable.

"Rick, I know your mad, and-"

"MAD? Believe me, I'm past that!" He retorted, shoving the smaller man back roughly.

"I know! I know you are man, and I don't blame you, what I did was inexcusable"

"You're a fucking liar! You told me you had all this shit under control, that you wouldn't drink anymore, but Daryl should have left you for the walkers when you tried to sneak all that stuff back here! "

"I know, I'm sor-"

Once again, Bob was cut off. "Not only could Daryl die, you jeopardised the life of everybody in this place! Do you know what would have happened if they had found son? They would've killed him!"

"Rick, listen I know what I did was wrong, but please hear me out"

He looked at Rick expectantly and although furious, he appeared not to object, so Bob continued.

"I can't live with myself knowing what I did, and I sure as hell don't deserve to be at this prison. I'm leaving, and you'll never see me again, I promise you that"

"You promise" Rick muttered sarcastically before pausing to consider the offer. "You'd be getting off easy, Stookey, but you better leave before I decide I'm being too nice"

And with that, seemingly none the less angry than before, and having spoken every word intensely and through gritted teeth. He hoped that he'd never see the little bastard again.

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Maggie groaned from exhaustion as she entered the foyer of the prison. "I can't fucking believe this" she murmured under her breath, not only referring to Daryl, but to everything that had occurred over the last couple of days.

Beth nodded in agreement "I know, but daddy said that he could be okay, we can't lose hope, and Tyrese got rid of those two monsters who hurt him. We have to keep hope"

"Two?" Maggie asked, slightly in panic

"Yeah, there were two"

"So they only killed two?"

"Yeah…" Beth stated nervously

"No, Lizzie and Mica saw three people"

Before either girl could raise the alarm, there was the clicking of a gun, and a tall figure stepped from around the corner.

"God, they told me that the people in this prison were smart, but I've been walking around here for hours now and nobody shot me a glance, I mean, you've gotta be kidding me"

Beth stuttered, trying to speak up, but Maggie could sense her fear, and raised her voice…

"Who are you?" she snapped

"Just passing through, here to collect something that belong to me and my group"

"You talking about Carl?"

"Ha! How'd you guess" he asked rhetorically

"You remind me of Paul" Maggie stated bluntly

The self-righteous smile disappeared immediately as the man's demeanour become far more somber.

"Well, you'd be right in sayin that. I was his brother, one of them anyway. Trust me, we're pissed at that little brat, but we aint gunnu kill him, so just hand him over, coz believe me sweetheart, it will be so much easier if you just do as we say, and give him up"

"No" Maggie said, with an expression that showed how painfully obvious her answer was

"Hey, c'mon you don't even wanna consider it? Not like when the governor asked for that samurai bitch, then you all wanted to hand her over, and you knew he was going to kill her, that's right, Paul told me stuff"

"Well, I never wanted to do that to Michonne, plus, the prison has changed since then" Beth almost shouted, trying to keep a brave face, but the stutter was a dead giveaway of her immense panic.

"Whatever you say blondie, but listen, I need you both for this, and if I don't bring him back, my group will kill me, so don't think for a second that I would put your lives above mine, I'll kill you both in a heartbeat if you don't help me out here"

He sounded desperate, but from what his gang was most likely to be like, that was all with good reason. Maggie and Beth exchanged glances. They believed every word this man was saying, and never doubted that he would ever have to contemplate killing them if they were not to help the guy out.

It seemed awful that either of the girls were considering his offer, and neither wouldn't actually hand Carl over without knowing that they were going to have to figure out a way to save themselves the kid at some point, but currently neither of the sisters had their guns handy, and the other man did, and appearing to be quite strong and young, it was almost laughable at the thought that they would ever attempt to fight the man, instead there was a shared look, which both girls understood and a mutual agreement was made that they'd go along with his plan, and hopefully find a way to escape.

To be continued….

**Okay so, it's been 3 weeks today since I last updated, and I'm so sorry if I kept anybody waiting. I always make an effort to update every week but 2 weeks ago the day before I usually update my grandmother died, so I was quite sad and didn't really feel like writing anything, then a whole lot a family drama happened, and then last week I caught the flu, anyway, so I'm back, and hopefully you guys enjoy, this chapter is about 200 words shorter than I wanted, but I finished it too quickly before realising. Thanks guys, hope to see some reviews! I'm also happy to take suggestions for future chapters!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**So there's a bit of a jump from the last chapter, just keeping things interesting.**

"And there he is! I was beginning to think that you'd never bloody wake up"

Carl groaned, squinting his eyes struggled to focus from what little light was provided in the room. He lifted his head, feeling a definite throbbing as he looked from side to side sluggishly.

There was an emphasised huffing, then "Take your time then"

Slowly, then room came into view, and Carl realised that he was tied to a chair, his hands and ankles were bound and he sat square in the middle. The room was drab and cold, with cement walls and flooring, he was most definite that he was currently in some sort of abandoned warehouse.

"So, remember anything?"

"Wh what?" he asked groggily, before being reminded of the other two that were also taken

"Wait, Beth and Maggie! Where are they?"

"They're safe, you all are"

"Why am I here?" Carl snapped, clearly fed up with all of the current drama.

"Testy, okay then, I'll tell you. We like you Carl, is that so hard to believe."

Carl didn't answer, but he knew what the guy meant, they didn't like him, they liked the fact that he was so defenceless in comparison, and those being so sick minded, they could do whatever they wished with him.

"Look, I'll be honest with you kid, since the whole apocalypse thing, it's been tough. Me and my men are somewhat deprived, you could say, and well, I can't help it if your just what I want. No cops no more, so who's going to stop me?"

The guy moved towards Carl, as he struggled to shift away, not that it was of any hope.

"Don't be so nervous, I hear this isn't your first time"

"STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME" Carl screamed, desperately trying to avoid what he knew was to come.

"You won't speak to me like that, boy. Understand? The guy hissed sternly.

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"Oh, thank goodness" Beth heard a sigh of relief as she twisted her head painfully fast, and was met with her both relieved and worried sibling who scuttled quickly to where Beth was bound, immediately slipping the gag from her mouth.

"I'm so glad I found you!"

"Thankyou" Beth sputtered as Maggie used her pocket knife to cut the ropes that were tied so tightly around her wrists that they burnt.

"But how did you get out?"

"Oh I know a trick or two" Maggie replied, Beth giving her a grateful smile for only a split second.

"Where's Carl?"

"Have no idea, I headed straight here to find you, we're both gunnu have to find him"

"I hope he's okay" Beth whispered, concern lacing her voice

"You and me both, C'mon let's look for him so we can get outa here, I had to knock a guy out, it's only a matter of time before they find out if they haven't already" she spluttered out as quickly as she could before grabbing her sisters wrist and running towards the door.

Entering the cold dark hallway, Maggie gestured for them both to be silent, as they crept along the walls, listening intently in hopes of hearing Carl.

"I'll be back later kiddo, don't go anywhere" they heard a familiar voice yell, followed by a smug chuckle. Hearing footstep descend into the distance, they waiting until it was as safe as a warehouse full of psychotic killers possibly could be, then made a mad dash for the room that Carl was most likely to be, praying they he was alone.

"Carl!" Beth yelled, followed by Maggie hushing her.

Both girls realised that he was different. Carl looked as though he was crying, and shaking , and traumatised.

They worked to untie the ropes, but Carl was not bound to a chair, but instead lay on the cold and dusty floor.

"You okay?" Maggie asked.

There was a prolonged silence before he cleared his throat and spoke "Let's just get outta here."

"Yeah, we're working on it, but we gotta be careful"

They all descended down the hallway, navigating through the building silently, and hoping they would not turn the corner to find more rowdy men. Every so often, they would hear the stomping of a heavy leather boot, and would quickly duck into the nearest hiding place, holding their breath in fear of being heard, but fortunately those moments were few and far between.

Tip toeing down a large flight of stairs, they were met with a wide and heavy door that led outside. Maggie was thankful, and relieved for only a second, but was quickly reminded that the crisis at hand was far from over.

Beth scanned the area, they were surrounding by tall trees that weakened the presence of the warehouse. It looked as though this location had been chosen carefully; the building was never meant to be found. There were numerous cars scattered in various places, as Maggie jingled that she had snagged, indicating that they would have to find the car that it belonged to.

With the help of Carl, both girls checked each car as thoroughly and quickly as they could, however there were no good results, and it was a matter of minutes before a large redneck looking guy rounded the corner, gun in his hand.

"HEY! What do you think you're doing, you fuckers!?" he yelled, cocking his gun, a shot sounded, and Beth, Carl and Maggie sprinted into the forest, thankful for his terrible aim as he continued to shoot.

They ran their hearts out, stumbling frequently as their feet sprayed the damp forest soil up from the ground. People would be after them, that was obvious enough, the angry yells of more than one man could be heard, as it grew more distant, but it didn't slow any of them down. Carl fell behind noticeably, a he let out a groan of pain, distracting Maggie from her running, she saw a concerning amount of blood on the boy's shirt, and urged for them to stop.

"I think we lost them" Maggie said, barely audible behind the heavy puffing due to loss of breath.

"We can't be sure, we have to keep going" Carl replied.

"We're safe, we should keep walking, but not before I get a look at that shoulder" She checked for an exit wound, and luckily found one.

"We'll keep pressure on it, don't worry, it'll be fine for now"

"Where are we" Beth asked, as it suddenly dawned on her.

"Wouldn't have a clue, but we could be hours away."

**Chapter 11! I hope you guys enjoyed it. So, I'm going to be honest, I'll probably be wrapping this story up in a few chapters, but there's a small chance I won't. **

**Like always, thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them all! **

**DarthGranola- Thanks! I liked that part too; it's how I imagined Rick would react if it were to happen on the show, and thankyou for your condolences. **

**Ckg96- Thankyou! Your review made me so happy, and sorry if I kept anybody waiting. **

**DarylDixon'Lover- haha, yeah, figured that they were too awesome to kill off, especially Beth.**


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